Japan is seeking to catch up with the reusability technology that Elon Musk’s SpaceX has used for several years to reduce the cost of delivering payloads into space. Saturday’s flight advances Japan’s effort to develop a lower cost successor to its current mainstay, the single-use H3 series. The flight also came one day after Chinese state media reported the country achieved its first successful recovery of a rocket first stage after liftoff.
During the flight, the RV-X lifted off, hovered and moved horizontally before landing. The flight was livestreamed by NVS, a group of space fans. JAXA was expected to explain the results in an online briefing later Saturday.
JAXA and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries have been co-developing the RV-X, which measures 1.8 meters in diameter and 7.3 meters long. The vehicle is equipped with engines built for enhanced durability and four shock-absorption landing gear. JAXA is also jointly developing reusable rockets with France and Germany.
Japan’s H3 rocket is designed to be more cost effective than its predecessor, the H-2A series, which held a near-perfect success record but still requires further cost cuts to compete in the global market. The Japanese government says a stable, commercially competitive transport capability is key to the country’s space program and national security.
For future test flights, JAXA plans to send the RV-X to a higher altitude of about 100 meters. The agency’s online briefing was expected to detail the results of Saturday’s flight.
